Friday, June 19, 2009

Heckler Movie Review 35


Heckler is a documentary made by Jamie Kennedy and it is about heckling and criticism that pervades everywhere in society. Yes, I am aware of the irony of me criticising the documentary by the way! Remember criticising can be good or bad but it is usually linked with bad. Heckler mostly deals with heckling of comedians at live shows but it also touches on musicians and film/film makers. Kennedy has amassed a brilliant range of people to comment on this documentary. Nearly every comedian gets a say as well as some actors and directors.


The main thrust of Jamie Kennedy's argument is that critics can be very helpful in their reviews. We all know people who say that they can't stand that certain actor and they hope that he never acts again because he's a ****. Kennedy obviously has things like that said about him and his outlook is hey, it's just a movie, take it easy! He shows video of his stand-up shows where people heckle him and interrupt. He asks other comedians what they think when this happens to them and how they react. Jamie tackles his own hecklers head on by interviewing them backstage on why they dislike the show. It's clear to see that Kennedy takes criticism personally but I think that's a good thing as it shows that he cares. If he just said whatever and didn't mind, then it shows he doesn't care if you enjoyed the show or not. A lot of the contributors use the analogy of
"well, you don't do stand up or make movies so don't criticise me" and I think that that is rather silly. We want to see good shows and movies so we tell people if we think they should see them or not.

He does confront bloggers head on also so here's hoping that I will be interviewed if he ever makes Heckler 2:This Time It's Personal!! He does not like people who say "Oh,no, not Jamie Kennedy! I'm not watching him!" or the people who just insult him and not talk about the movie at all.We all have pre-conceived ideas about people so it is good to try and take them on their merits or work they have done instead! On the Internet it can be fun to totally slam someone or their movie which is why you see a lot of it! I try not to do it, but maybe we all fall into that trap of saying something that we would not say to the person's face. In Heckler, Kennedy confronts people and reads out what they wrote while he is in front of them. He talks about a review that just bashed Kennedy and said nothing about his movie at all. There are a couple of people like Carrot Top, Pauly Shore and Uwe Boll that always get dismissed and they get talked to for their view. I've seen bits of Carrot Top and thought that he was funny. I liked some Pauly Shore movies I have seen but I have never seen an Uwe Boll movie. I'm aware that people seem to love or hate him for some reason! Again, some people have pre-conceived ideas before their movie comes out, so it's best to forget about history and just go and enjoy the movie.

Kennedy's main annoyance seems to be people just focusing on the person or the idea they have and this is why I review a movie .I try to review as follows. I talk about the movie and who is in it, then what it is about and then I give my opinion on it. A trailer is included if you don't have a clue about what movie I am talking about. Now, you may think what I like is wrong but at least you will know more about the movie so you can make up your own mind. I hated the Curious Case of Benjamin Button as it was way too slow but if you like slow movies, then I admit that you will love it. The new Star Trek was a disappointment to me so that is why I gave a long review detailing what I didn't like as I hate reviews just saying that the person hated the movie and they have no reasons why. It's up to the reader to decide then whether he/she sees a movie or reads the book I have reviewed.

There is an element of "how dare you say bad things about us" in Heckler from a lot of the people interviewed but they have to take the bad with the good. They get a lot of fame and money from good reviews so they should accept it. The over- the-top personal attacks is unacceptable though as well people dismissing the comedians/actors before they ever see their work. Some critics of Uwe Boll in Heckler admit that they haven't sat through a full movie of his.
I haven't either so I wouldn't say it was good or bad. Overall, Jamie Kennedy deserves a lot of credit for making this thought-provoking documentary and it definitely does get you thinking while still entertaining you. Nicole Mandich(dunno who she is either) exposes her breasts in this as someone had told her to get a boob job but I think that she was really making mountains out of molehills!!

I would recommend that you get this on DVD as it is worth a look!! The movie Heckler and not Nicole Mandich topless, I mean!

Heckler- 8/10

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